Name: Pickled and Pink Deviled Eggs
Yield: 30 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 6 beets (or 2 cups beet juice); ⅓ cup water; ⅓ cup sherry vinegar; 3 tbsp. olive oil; 30 eggs; 2 cups Duke’s mayonnaise; ½ cup Lusty Monk mustard (or spicy mustard of your choice); ½ cup sour cream; 4 tbsp. minced capers (measured after minced); ½ tsp. cayenne; 1½ tsp. Maldon sea salt; 2 tsp. horseradish; Dill and/or caviar for garnish

Pickled and Pink Deviled Eggs for a Crowd

Seabird in Wilmington, North Carolina, levels up the Southern favorite with spoonfuls of caviar and beet roasting brine

By Jenn Rice
Recipe by Dean Neff

March 26, 2025

“The traditional accompaniments that go with caviar are all here in one bite of a deviled egg: capers, crème fraîche, egg,” says Dean Neff, the owner and chef of Seabird in Wilmington, North Carolina, as well as the new owner of Wilmington’s oldest seafood market, Zora’s Market & Kitchen.

For this crowd-friendly appetizer, he also adds a bright pink color by soaking the eggs in a beet roasting brine. He says the sherry vinegar in the liquid sneakily adds flavor and acid to the fatty deviled eggs.

The finishing touch: a crowning of North Carolina Marshallberg Farm caviar. Or, a simple sprinkle of dill would add brightness, too.

Find more deviled egg tips here.

Ingredients

6 beets (or 2 cups beet juice)
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup sherry vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
30 eggs
2 cups Duke’s mayonnaise
½ cup Lusty Monk mustard (or spicy mustard of your choice)
½ cup sour cream
4 tbsp. minced capers (measured after minced)
½ tsp. cayenne
1½ tsp. Maldon sea salt
2 tsp. horseradish
Dill and/or caviar for garnish

Preparation

Prepare the beet liquid: Roast beets with water, sherry vinegar, and olive oil in a covered pan at 375°F for 40 minutes. Cool completely and reserve liquid. Alternatively, you may simply combine the beet juice with the sherry vinegar and set aside.

Prepare the eggs: Bring 5 quarts, or a large pot of salted water, to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to keep water at a simmer. Gently place eggs in water, leaving them for exactly 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, submerge them immediately into an ice bath to chill for 20 minutes.

Peel eggs (but do not halve) and place in chilled beet liquid (or beet juice with sherry vinegar added). Leave eggs in the liquid for 2 to 10 minutes depending on the vibrancy of color you want to achieve.

Remove eggs from beet liquid and halve lengthwise, carefully removing the yolks.

Combine yolks with all remaining ingredients and puree in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste.

Use a piping bag fitted with a round tip to fill the egg white halves.

Garnish with dill and/or a dollop of caviar. (Neff likes to use Marshallberg Caviar from North Carolina. Hackleback and trout or salmon roe also make great garnishes.)